FIFA has confirmed a major change to the draw format for the 2026 World Cup, ensuring that the top four seeded nations cannot face one another until the semi-final stage—an unprecedented move in the tournament’s history. The new structure is designed to guarantee high-profile knockout matches deeper in the competition and prevent early eliminations of global powerhouses.

Top Seeds Placed Into Paired Halves of the Bracket

Under the new system, the top four seeds will be split into two pairs and placed on opposite sides of the knockout bracket.

Pairings Announced

• Spain (Seed 1) paired with Argentina (Seed 2)
• France (Seed 3) paired with England (Seed 4)

This means:

• England cannot meet Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals.
• England cannot play France until the final.
• These restrictions only apply if all four teams win their groups, advancing into the knockout stage from their expected positions.

The model mirrors seeding strategies in tournaments like Wimbledon and the new UEFA Champions League format, where top-ranked competitors are kept apart to build toward bigger matchups.

FIFA has used the same ranking system previously for the Club World Cup, where top-seed protection produced strong late-stage matchups.

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Background: Rivalries and Recent Tournament History

Recent tournaments have seen several high-stakes clashes involving these nations:

• France eliminated England in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 victory.
• Spain defeated England in the Euro 2024 final, adding fuel to an already growing rivalry.

These new draw mechanics raise anticipation for possible rematches—potentially deeper in the tournament than ever before.

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World Cup Draw Pots Confirmed

FIFA has also finalized the four pots for the upcoming World Cup draw, scheduled for Friday, 5 December at 17:00 GMT.

Notable Pot Placements

• Scotland enters Pot 3.
• Play-off winners—which could include Wales, Northern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland—will all be in Pot 4.
• Uzbekistan, making their World Cup debut, land in Pot 3.
• Fellow debutants Jordan, Cape Verde, and Curaçao are assigned to Pot 4.

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How the 2026 World Cup Draw Will Work

The expanded World Cup will feature 12 groups, each containing one team from all four pots. FIFA outlined a step-by-step draw process:

1. Pot One Draw

Co-hosts have predetermined positions:

• Mexico – Group A (A1)
• Canada – Group B (B1)
• United States – Group D (D1)

These placements ensure all co-hosts play their group-stage matches on home soil.

2. Placement Rules

• Teams are placed in the first available group in alphabetical order.
• A FIFA “draw computer” guarantees that Spain, Argentina, France, and England are placed correctly to uphold the new bracket separation.

3. Pots Two, Three, and Four Draw

Teams are added to groups under strict confederation rules:

• No group can include two teams from the same confederation, except Europe.
• Up to four groups may contain two UEFA nations, as Europe provides the largest pool of qualifying teams.

4. Confed Restrictions for Play-off Pathways

• Pathway 1 (New Caledonia, Jamaica, DR Congo): cannot join a group with Concacaf or African teams.
• Pathway 2 (Bolivia, Suriname, Iraq): cannot be placed with South American, Concacaf, or Asian teams.

5. New Procedure for Group Positions

To streamline the draw, countries will no longer be drawn into exact match positions within their groups. Instead:

• Seeded teams automatically occupy position one.
• Remaining slots are assigned via a pre-determined randomized grid used by FIFA’s system.

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Match Dates Known—But Venues TBD

While the match schedule and order of games will become clear during the draw, FIFA will not release the specific stadium assignments or kick-off times until Saturday, 6 December.